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The New Zealand Labor Party meets on Sunday to appoint a successor to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. A head of government of Maori origin, a first for the country, is on the table.
Who will replace Jacinda Ardern? The resignation of the New Zealand prime minister, which took her country by surprise, paves the way for the appointment of a successor of Maori origin, as few candidates have shown interest in the position.
Three days after Jacinda Ardern’s resignation, the Labor caucus will try to name her successor on Sunday, January 22.
However, to become prime minister he will need two-thirds of the votes. If neither candidate succeeds, a long battle will begin involving members of the Labor Party and its affiliated unions.
Chris HipkinsThe 44-year-old is the clear favorite for victory after Grant Robertson, second to Jacinda Ardern, withdrew from the race. Hipkins, whose candidacy is considered serious, has had a large presence in the media, having been responsible for the management of the Covid-19 crisis, as well as for the Education and Police portfolios.
Other candidates in the running are the Minister of Justice, Kiri Allan, a leading figure among Labor MPs of Maori origin, and Immigration Minister Michael Wood. The latter, 42, is responsible for raising New Zealand’s minimum wage and has considerable support in the country’s trade union movement.
At the moment, none of the three have made their candidacy official.
“We would like to see a Maori Prime Minister one day”
New Zealand has never been led by a Prime Minister of Maori origin. But former lawyer Kiri Allan could break the glass ceiling on Sunday. Entering Parliament in 2017, she was quickly heralded as a future leader, if not the first Maori leader in the country’s history.
Kiri Allan is the second youngest of 10 children and grew up in a working-class home on the East Coast. She married her partner Natalie hers in 2016, shortly after New Zealand legalized same-sex marriage.
She was forced to resign in April 2021 after doctors diagnosed her with stage 3 cervical cancer, but returned to office just three months later.
On Sunday, the 15 Maori members of the Labor caucus hope to influence the vote. “Obviously we would like to see a Maori prime minister one day,” said influential Labor minister Kelvin Davis.
Willie Jackson, former co-chairman of the Labor Party caucus, said it was extremely important that Maori MPs have a voice. “We are talking about the prime minister of our nation, so we want to play a role,” he said.
The Maori party, Te Pati Maori, also stated that it was time for New Zealand to be led by a Prime Minister of Maori origin.
“Any other result would be a step backwards for Aotearoa (New Zealand’s official Maori name) after Jacinda Ardern,” party co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi warned in a statement.
It is believed that the first Maori arrived in New Zealand from Polynesia around 700 years ago. Around 17% of New Zealand’s five million people currently identify as Maori, according to the country’s latest census.
with AFP
This article was adapted from its original in French
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